


All I See is Black and White

by ShellyNelsonLahey



Category: Archie Comics & Related Fandoms, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Jeronica, Vughead, jeronicaweek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-30
Updated: 2020-01-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:33:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22484197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShellyNelsonLahey/pseuds/ShellyNelsonLahey
Summary: The day Veronica Lodge comes to Riverdale, both Jughead and Veronica lose their ability to see colors. It isn’t until they kiss for New Years (at the Lodge Lodge) that the colors return to their vision and they realize that they’re soulmates.
Relationships: Veronica Lodge & Jughead Jones, Veronica Lodge x Jughead Jones - Relationship, Veronica Lodge/Jughead Jones
Comments: 7
Kudos: 60





	All I See is Black and White

**Author's Note:**

  * For [The Jeronica Nation](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=The+Jeronica+Nation).



> So I posted my moodboard first and was NOT in a writing mood until today (thanks to Neve!!!) so I didn’t write anything and uhhhhh now I did and I legit LOVE this. I was going to write more tiny scenes of them bonding throughout but at the last second I didn’t. I don’t know why (I was probably too excited??), but whatever, I hope you enjoy!

* * *

The “Welcome to Riverdale” sign blurred past Veronica Lodge’s sleepy eyes. She could see the spruce trees and their minty green blurring by, the blue of the rushing river below, the foggy sky that normally would be smog to her. Then, with the blink of an eye, everything became black and white. No more greens or blues, or the tan colored wood on the sign. Her dress wasn’t burgundy anymore, it appeared black.

Veronica perked up from her slouched position—which was an attempt to sleep through the uncomfortable car ride—and gasped so loud and sudden that her mother swerved the car. Not enough to go into the other lane, but enough to bring a new, waking air to the mother and daughter’s senses. “Jesus, mija, you scared me. What’s wrong?”

“I—I can’t see color anymore. Everything’s black and white.” Veronica blinked again and again, unable to believe that after all her time of dating boys and girls in hopes that they would be the one, that one day her ability to see colors would evaporate and let her know that she was in the same area as her soulmate, happened when she moved away. Away from the city she loved, the city she figured she would stay in forever. Turns out she wasn’t destined to find the one in New York.

“Oh, Ronnie…” Hermione Lodge smiled proudly into the mirror. “Who would have thought your soulmate was here in Riverdale? That’s incredible, baby!”

“Yeah, but now I have to find them. It’s a small town, but I won’t know who it is until we touch, or kiss. However the weird soulmate bond works,” Veronica sighed, truly happy that she’s near her soul mate, but finding them was going to be a challenge. This town wasn’t what she was used to. She was glamor and glitz, this town was the complete opposite. And some odd force that gave humans the ability to find “the one” for them wouldn’t give the color back into someone’s sight until some form of contact. It changes for everybody, which is why Veronica was nervous. Would she have to hug them? Hold their hand? Kiss them? It was… nerve-wracking to say the least.

Hermione parked the car in the parking lot of the Pembrooke, the apartment building she owned separate from her husband, Hiram, who was still in New York finishing his work before joining his family in Riverdale.

Veronica gazed up at the name of the building, letting out a short puff of air. Here’s to a fresh start, and a soulmate hunt.

* * *

“Are you sure we should be doing this, Kev?” Veronica shivered, pulling her parka tighter over her shoulders. “I mean, I’ve only been here for a couple of weeks. I don’t want to get arrested, especially since everybody thinks i’m some law-breaking rich girl who can buy her way out of any trouble she gets into.”

Kevin waved her off, shaking his head at her nerves. Whereas he was smiling like a fool, probably because he was about to meet up with his boyfriend. “Look, there’s a door that doesn’t lock on the right side of the building. Go steal us some candy and wait there for some shelter while I go meet up with Joaquin, and then we’ll pick a movie to watch. No one’s going to know, it’s one in the morning and no one who isn’t also doing something illegal is up.”

Before she could protest, Kevin was skipping off towards the darker side of the parking lot leaving Veronica to the nipping cold. She wasn’t sure about doing this, but right now any shelter from the breeze would be highly appreciated. So, she huffed in a deep breath to gain a bit of courage and walked until she came across a set of doors on the right side of the drive-in. She pulled on both handles, and was genuinely shocked when the left door opened with a small squeal, even though Kevin forewarned her that it was broken.

Stepping into the drive-in’s small building that mostly just held concessions, a couple of rooms that Veronica had no idea what they were for, and the projector room that was placed in the front, or, technically, the back. She glanced over at the concessions, chewing on the inside of her cheek contemplating what kind of snacks she would want to eat. Most of her favorites were inside of the definitely-locked glass case.

Veronica instead decided that she didn’t want to steal from the drive-in. Not only did Jughead, someone she considered a friend, work there and them stealing their inventory wouldn’t help her solidify that friendship but it would also probably get him fired considering he was practically the only worker there. So, instead, she roamed around. The first door she opened was the projector room. It was pretty small, had a projector, obviously, and a couple of tapes from the previous movies played over the last few days. Other than that, there were some posters and a chair or two for whoever was manning the projector. Somehow, it felt… safe. Like home, almost. Veronica wasn’t sure why, but she left it with a tender smile and gently closed the door behind her.

Despite the drive-in being closed and therefore empty, the thunk of the door hitting the frame made her cringe. Slowly, her feet dawdled towards the next door, when the last one at the end of the hallway opened abruptly. Veronica yelped, jumping backwards and covering her gaze from the harsh white light pointed at her face, blinding her. Whoever it was must have recognized her, or didn’t find her as a threat, because they lowered their flashlight. It wasn’t until the light glared off of a metal object that Veronica realized they also held a switchblade knife in their other hand.

“ _Veronica_?”

She knew that voice. It was the voice of the boy she was absolutely intrigued by: she had never had someone act so shy around her, it was much different than the boys who wanted to do her bidding in hopes they’d get into her pants. “ _Jughead_?”

“I thought you were a murderer coming to get me!” Jughead let out a shaky breath, running a hand through his dark hair. Veronica blinked a couple of times over how soft and luscious his hair looked like without the iconic crown beanie. Then, her eyes cast down to his clothing and her eyebrows furrowed. _Why was he wearing pajamas?_ “Why are you here?”

“Jughead… why are you wearing—”

“I asked you first.”

Veronica narrowed her eyes, pursed her lips, but knew he was right. He did ask first. “Um… I kind of got dragged into coming here by Kevin to meet his Serpent boyfriend. And to make some friends, I guess.”

“To the _closed_ drive-in?” Jughead raised his eyebrows, a humorous look on his face. “I thought you wanted to leave behind your bad girl persona from New York? I mean, I could totally be persuaded to pretend you were never here for a free movie and snacks if I got paid a nice sum of money for my troubles.”

She scoffed, offended at the very idea of him thinking that she was anything close to how she used to be. Compared to what she’s done before, breaking and entering was nothing. “Don’t change the subject. Why are you in pajamas at a drive-in? Are you… living here?”

By the way Jughead’s eyes went from her questioning, concerned gaze to the floor, he didn’t even have to give her a verbal answer. His eyes said everything. But he explained, anyways. “My father is a drunk, and I refuse to live in that toxic environment. No one is here at night so I decided to use one of the extra rooms that’s used for storage as shelter. Please… don’t tell anyone.”

Veronica frowned, hating to see the usual shy, puppy-dog looking boy wearing a pleading expression. “I know your pride will keep you from even thinking about it, but why don’t you come live with us? We have extra rooms, and if my parents found out that a son of their old friend’s was homeless, my mother would have a cow. No, she’d have a whole ass elephant.”

“A whole ass—I have never heard you say something so unsophisticated,” Jughead chuckled under his breath. But he knew she was waiting for an answer, and so he grew serious and looked her dead in the eyes to show her he was taking it seriously. “I appreciate it, Veronica, but I could never impede.”

“I mean… as your friend… I’m obligated to go vent to someone about how dumb you’re being, and i’m very close with my mother,” Veronica sighed dramatically, feigning innocence even though she was low-key trying to force his hand. “So in a sense, she’d find out either way and insist that you stay with us at the Pembrooke.”

Jughead knew what she was doing, and didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of winning against a tactic he was aware of, but he gave in with a groan because every time he fought with Veronica Lodge, he lost. She was just that good, and as much as it annoyed him, it also impressed him. “I’m not going to have an actual choice in the matter, am I?”

“No, not really.”

Jughead bit down on his bottom lip, unsure if he wanted to say what he wanted to say. “You know, I may give you shit, but I really appreciate it.”

Veronica smiled. “Don’t ever stop giving me shit. It’s our thing, isn’t it?”

“Sure. Oh, and if you’re going to take candy, don’t take too much. I can blame it on the Serpents and Ghoulies sneaking in because that’s a regular thing, but if it’s too much I may get fired,” Jughead explained, tossing her the keys to the concession stand. “I’m going back to bed, and I will meet with your parents tomorrow, or whatever.”

“Why, because it’s late? They know i’m out and about,” Veronica snickered, knowing he would automatically think that she snuck out and would have to keep this meeting a secret. But this was Kevin, and not some hookup. Her father didn’t mind. Neither of her parents cared, really. It was Friday and she knew how to take care of herself, especially coming from New York. “C’mon, I didn’t want to be here in the first place. I can ask Kevin and his boyfriend to help you with your stuff.”

“You’re chock full of surprises, aren’t you, Lodge?”

Veronica wiggled her eyebrows, “maybe over breakfast we can play twenty questions and I won’t surprise you as much."

“Oh, where’s the fun in that? Surprises are nice.”

* * *

“It’s been a whole year and I still don’t know who my soulmate is,” Veronica sighed in disappointment, sipping at her jalepeño margarita. Her eyes flickered up to Jughead, Kevin, and Cheryl who were sat in the hot tub with her. Toni and Joaquin had fallen asleep on the lawn chairs by the heated pool, and Betty and Archie were occupied in one of the rooms. Of course. Veronica had helped them get together, and now they were even more inseparable… and they were already inseparable before she came to Riverdale. “I wonder if i’ve met my soulmate and I just don’t know.”

“Well, when exactly did the color go away?” Cheryl questioned. “It’s tricky, because I met young Toni when I was playing on a playground. When my hideous, homophobic mother ripped me away from her, the color drained from my sight and came back, and every now and then it would flicker on and off like a lightswitch. You know, up until the Serpents were placed at our school and I un-repressed the memory and realized that this beautiful topaz was my soulmate.”

Veronica hummed, biting on the inside of her cheek like she did when she first came to Riverdale a year ago. “The second we passed the sign welcoming us to Riverdale. So whoever it is has to be here in this damn town. I just… don’t know how to find them.”

Jughead cleared his throat, placing his drink down. “I have a confession to make…” The three turned to him, curious. “I only see in black and white… and it happened randomly and suddenly last year.”

“Jughead Jones’ soulmate is here in Riverdale?” Kevin gasped, the excitement clear on his face. “When did this happen? I genuinely thought that a guy like you wouldn’t get one because you’re so goddamn closed off.”

Cheryl mused, eyeing the girl as she spoke her name. “Hey, Veronica, what time did you get into Riverdale?”

“What?” Veronica blinked, taken aback. “How am I supposed to remember? It was a whole year ago, Cher.”

“Just… guess.”

“Um, I think it was in the evening. Maybe afternoon, growing close to the evening,” Veronica shrugged. “What does that have to do with anything?”

Cheryl ignored Veronica and turned to Jughead. “And when did the color drop from your eyesight?”

Jughead pondered it for a few moments, before his face fell. “Around the same time. I remember it distinctly because I was watching a movie I put on at the drive-in and it was black and white, so at first I didn’t notice. Until I went out to get a snack and I couldn’t see the colors on the snack boxes.”

“Wait… do you think…” Kevin didn’t finish his sentence, instead looking between Jughead and Veronica with a light in his eyes that could probably take on the sun.

“That Veronica and Jughead could be soulmates? Maybe,” Cheryl wiggled her eyebrows. “There’s one way to find out.”

“We’ve touched before, though,” Jughead explained, shaking his head at the thought of him being the soulmate of a girl who was way out of his league. Him, over anyone else in this town. Kevin snickered at the sentence. “Not like that, you idiot. We were dateless to the dance, remember? We danced. We touched. Neither of us got the ability to see color again. Besides, we also lived together until my dad got his shit together.”

“It doesn’t always work like that,” Kevin reminded, “the soulmate bond is weird, and it doesn’t, like, show you until you’re ready or something. Until it’s the right moment.”

“I’m not kissing Veronica,” Jughead laughed lightly, “do you know how out of her league I am? I would have more of a shot with Betty, and she’s my fucking step sister.”

“First of all, gross,” Veronica cringed, “second of all, you can think you’re out of my league all you want, that mistake is on your insecurities. You’re still my type, so we might as well try it, right?”

“I’m your _what_?” Jughead choked, blinking rapidly in shock. Suddenly, his throat ran dry and his hands went cold and clammy despite being in a hot tub. “I—”

“Alright, fine. Truth or dare, Jughead?” Cheryl raised her eyebrows, not even waiting for an answer before she continued. “Sorry, you took too long, so I dare you and Veronica to kiss.”

“That’s not how truth or dare works, Cheryl.”

“Does it look like I care?”

Veronica rolled her eyes, stood up and placed her drink on the side, and walked over to face Jughead. “Just trust me, okay?” With that, she closed her eyes and placed her hands on his cheeks to guide his lips to hers. Her mouth moved in sync with his, and he relaxed now that it was finally happening. He would never in a million years tell Veronica just how many dreams he had of kissing her, and how actually doing it was a billion times better than what he thought it would feel like. She tasted like jalepeño margarita, which made their kiss just as spicy as it was hot.

When she opened her eyes to look at him, to see his expression, to wonder what he was thinking, Veronica’s throat closed just before a gasp could escape. She could see the blue of the water, the green of their drinks, the dark brown of Jughead’s hair that she thought was black, the color of his creamy skin. She could see the piercing seafoam green eyes pouring into hers, mirroring her shock because he was witnessing the same flurry of color springing back after an entire year of black and white.

“Did we just witness history?” Kevin and Cheryl cheered on the sidelines, giggling and watching with fascination.

“I can’t believe… you’re my soulmate.” Jughead breathed, the hands that had slowly gripped her hips sliding around her back to pull her in closer to him. “The one person I thought I would never be good enough for. I guess fate is a bitch, huh?”

Veronica snickered. “Maybe, but I blame you not kissing me at the dance like I wanted you to.”

“Oh, sorry, I was busy thinking that you’d be revolted and never look at me again."

“Guys… it’s January first. You two just had the most magnificent soulmate-finding kiss on New Year’s!” Kevin exclaimed. “Damn, the fact that my first kiss with Joaquin was me against a fence seems so dull and boring in comparison to this.”

“Imagine Toni, Betty, and Archie’s reaction when they wake up tomorrow and find out,” Cheryl wiggled her eyebrows teasingly. “Say cheese, I need to get this amazing moment on camera! Toni won’t mind, trust me. She loves soulmate pictures."


End file.
